Cochrane Library is a collection of databases that contain independent evidence to inform healthcare decision making. The Library contains over 5,000 systematic reviews (which summarize results of healthcare studies/controlled trials) and over 650,000 other data records, covering clinical trials, methods, technology and economic evaluations. Cochrane Library is a set of three databases, each with their own purpose:
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
Cochrane Clinical Answers
You can access all of these resources through the Libraries website at the link below:
According to its website, "the Campbell Collaboration is an international social science research network that produces high quality, open and policy-relevant evidence syntheses, plain language summaries and policy briefs." In other words, like the Cochrane Library, the Campbell Collaboration produces, supports, and shares systematic reviews related to social interventions.
You can access the Campbell Collaboration through the Libraries at the link below:
A systematic review is a compilation and analysis of past research on a given topic. The purpose of a systematic review is to answer a research question by evaluating and synthesizing all the past research on the topic. By looking at the combined data from previous studies, researchers can get a more accurate big picture view of the subject.
The key characteristics of a systematic review are:
There are many different types of reviews in academic literature. Here is a comparison of some of the most common types from Cornell University Library:
Systematic Review
A methodical and comprehensive literature synthesis focused on a well-formulated research question.
• Aims to identify and synthesize all of the scholarly research on a particular topic, including both published and
unpublished studies.
• Conducted in an unbiased, reproducible way to provide evidence for practice and policy-making and to identify gaps in
research.
• May involve a meta-analysis.
• Much more time-intensive than traditional literature reviews.
Literature (Narrative) Review
A broad term referring to reviews with a wide scope and non-standardized methodology.
• Search strategies, comprehensiveness, and time range covered vary and do not follow an established protocol.
Scoping Review or Systematic Map
Systematically and transparently collects and categorizes existing evidence on a broad topic or set of research questions.
• Seeks to identify research gaps and opportunities for evidence synthesis.
• May critically evaluate existing evidence, but does not attempt to synthesize the results in the way a systematic review
would.
• May take longer than a systematic review.
Meta-Analysis
A statistical technique for combining the findings from disparate quantitative studies.
• Uses statistical methods to objectively evaluate, synthesize, and summarize results.
• May be conducted independently or as part of a systematic review
Umbrella Review
Reviews other systematic reviews on a topic.
• Often defines a broader question than is typical of a traditional systematic review.
• Most useful when there are competing interventions to consider.
Cornell University Library. Systematic Review Decision Tree. https://guides.library.cornell.edu/ld.php?content_id=52561085
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